The devil's Mercedes
Subtitle: the bizarre and disturbing adventures of Hitler's limousine in America
By: Robert Klara
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 342
ISBN-13: 9781250069726
Subjects: Transportation; Limousines; Automobile ownership; Used limousines; Biography; Automobile drivers; Heads of state; Mercedes automobiles; History
Description: "In 1938, Mercedes-Benz began production of the largest, most luxurious limousine in the world. A machine of frightening power and sinister beauty, the Grosser 770K Model 150 Offener Tourenwagen was 20 feet long, seven feet wide, and tipped the scales at 5 tons. Its supercharged, 230-horsepower engine propelled the beast to speeds over 100 m.p.h. while its occupants reclined on glove-leather seats stuffed with goose down. Armor plated and equipped with hidden compartments for Luger pistols, the 770K was a sumptuous monster with a monstrous patron: Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party. Deployed mainly for propaganda purposes before the war, the hand-built limousines--in which Hitler rode standing in the front seat--motored through elaborate rallies and appeared in countless newsreels, swiftly becoming the Nazi party's most durable symbol of wealth and power. Had Hitler not so thoroughly dominated the scene with his own megalomania, his opulent limousine could easily have eclipsed him. Most of the 770Ks didn't make it out of the rubble of World War II. But several of them did. And two of them found their way, secretly and separately, to the United States. In The Devil's Mercedes, author Robert Klara uncovers the forgotten story of how Americans responded to these rolling relics of fascism on their soil"--Provided by publisher.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: 1. THE STOCKHOLM DEAL; title: 2. THE SCREWBALL OF WINNETKA; title: 3. THE GREAT MERCEDES; title: 4. "THE GORING SPECIAL"; title: 5. THE FINNISH CONNECTION; title: 6. MEN WITH CARS; title: 7. RUNNING OFF TO CANADA; title: 8. THE BIG TENT; title: 9. SUSPICIONS; title: 10. DUTCH OWNDERLAND; title: 11. STALEMATE IN OTTAWA; title: 12. LIKE MARRYING A MOVIE STAR; title: 13. THE SLEUTH; title: 14. THE CULT OF A CAR; title: 15. CALIFORNIA; title: EPILOGUE.